Would you surivive a potato masher?

I'm a writer looking for help with the following:

You are a GI plowing through hedgerow country in France in June 1944 when suddenly a potato masher lands close by. In the half-second you have to think about it, you decide your best course of action is to hit the dirt, face away from the pm, and hope for the best.

At what distance would you:

Grenades in WWII could be extremely unreliable. There are numerous accounts of men standing next to exploding grenades who escaped either totally unhurt or slightly injured.

Generally the explosion alone won't kill unless you are extremely close to the grenade or in a confined environment like a room or a vehicle. The metal fragments did most of the killing, but fragmentation wouldn't always spread evenly or reliably scatter for the maximum effect.

Dear Writer Nick8004,

THe German standard M-24 stick grenade had 165 gram TNT filler so - within a three meter radius with no obstruction bewteen you and the weapon

within 4 meters to 6 meters radius with no obstruction bewteen you and the weapon. see next answer

repeat Previous answer (depends on where you are to the grenade - the weapons orientation towards you - obstructions {Trees, shrubs, flower beds, houses, horses, cows, tanks, your buddy, anything that obstructs blast and fragments-Biggest variable} - soil conditions - clothing thickness - bags soldier is carrying, the list is endless)

if you are 8 to 10 meters away when the weapon goes off it can still kill you. but the chance is a lot less - however you can still be unlucky

again there is no set answer. If you are only 1 meter away and in a foxhole or behind a solid wall your chances of surviving are good- not great but good - your hearing could be permanently damaged. The thicker the wall or deeper the hole, the better the odds of surviving unless the grenade lands in the hole with you. Thats why infantrymen are always looking for cover! If you really want to thank me how about some credit in the foreword as a contributor?

Your contributor,

Consider also the poor quality control of German munitions, largely assembled by slave laborers. If the workers were not simply poor craftspeople, they consciously sabotaged their work.

An effective grenade filler is one (if you desiring fragmentation effect) which will break the body into a number of large fragments and hurl them with enough velocity. Early grenades used too much TNT filler which over fragmented the body. Later found to use smaller amount (50-60 grams) of flaked or powdered TNT which explodes at a lower velocity than cast TNT. Brits used Baratol a mix of 67 % TNT and 33% Barium nitrate which explodes at much lower velocity than straight TNT - also saves TNT. US grenades were originally filled with 21 grams of EC Blank powder - a type of smokesless powder made from nitrocellouse impregnatated with potassium and barium nitrates. Was done for reason of economy and safety - did not require a detonator, just a lenght of Bickford fuse with a black powder igniter pellet. Also since not using high explosive would not detonate by accident from shock if an adjacent grenade exploded. Later grenades used 50 grams of flake TNT. Germans went other way depending on blast effect - used a light metal can filled with 6-7oz (170-200 grams) TNT. Often German soldiers would uncrew sticks and tie 4-5 grenades around a central grenade. Called a 'bundle charge' were used against bunkers or tanks - would be thrown on engine deck to stop the tank (and hopefully set engine compartment on fire).